Signaling system for party telephone-lines.



J. L. MQQUARRIE.

I SIGNALING SYS IEM FOR PARTY TELEPHONE LINES.

- APPLIOATION rnsn'mo. 10. 1904.

uivrrnn STATES PATENT oi rron.

JAMES L. McQUARRIE. or sourn ORANGE, New JERSEY, assreuoa jro WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, or CHICAGO, rumors, A ooRPoRA- TION OF ILLINOIS.

SIGNALING SYSTEM FOR PARTY TELEPHONE-UNES- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5,1906.

Original application filed January 29,1903, Serial No. 149,969. Divided and this applieation filed Denember 1Q, 1904. Serial To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMns L. MGQUARRIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Orange, in the county of Essex and 5 State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Signaling Systems for Party TelephoneLines, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to party-line telephone systems, and has for its objectto provide an improved organization of circuits and apparatus whereby the central-oflice operator upon making connection with a party linein response to a call may readily ascertain the particular subscriber calling.

My invention contemplates the provision of distinctive signal devices at the substations of such a party-line for indicating to the operator which one of the substation telephone instruments of the party-linc is in use or which subscriber is calling for connection, the operator being provided with a suitable receiving device which she may connect with 2 5 the line to receive the peculiar signal produced at any station.

More particularly, the invention contemplates such a distinctive signal device at each substation of the party-line arranged to be brought into operative relation to the line upon the removal of the telephone-switch at such station in initiating a call. The opera tor is provided with a connectipn-switch adapted when closed to connect the link conductors of her cord-circuit with the line, such link conductors having associated therewith a source of current adapted to operate the signal device at the substation whose telephone is in use upon the closure of the connection-switch. The signal-receiving device is associated with the link conductors to receive the signal produced at the calling-station. This arrangement is of particular advantage where it is desired to make a charge for each call initiated by each substation of the party-line, since it enables the operator to ascertain which subscriber is calling and should be charged.

I will describe my'invention more particu- 5 larly by reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a diagram of a four-par-ty-line telephone system organized and equipped in accordance with my invention.

The party-line A extends in two limbs 1 2 from the four substations A A A A to the central ofiice and thence through the. con, tacts of a cut-off relay 0, limb 1 extending therefrom through the usual line-signal con-i trollin -magnet a to the free ole of grounded contra -o'flice battery I), whi e limb- 2 is connected directly to earth. The line is provided at the central office with the usual spring-jack terininal 0, having long and short line-springs e 6 connected with the limbs 1 2, respectively, together with a thimble e ,forming the terminal of a conductor 3, extendin to earth through the Winding of the usual. cut-off relay 0. v

The apparatus at each substation is of the type commonly employed in central-battery 7o partyline systems, except that each station is equipped with a distinctive si nalroducing device, such as a single-stroke be 1 d, 10- cated adjacent to the transmitter T and having an operating-magnet d included in a bridge 4 of the line-circuit controlled at a normally open special contact f of the telephoneswitch f. The bells at the difierent stations -may have different tones, so that the operator may recognize the characteristic signal of any particular one of the substations.

The central-ofiice operator is provided with the usual pair of link conductors 5 6, terminating at the ring and tip contacts g g, respectively, of an answering-plug g, adapted 5 for insertion in the spring-jack e of the partyline, the said plug and spring-jack con'stitut ing a connection-switch whic when'close'd is adapted to unite the link conductors with the line. The sleeve g of lug 9 forms the go terminal of a conductor 7, lhading from the free pole of a battery I), included 111 a bridge of the link conductors 5 6, said sleeve being adapted to register with the thimble of spring-jack e to complete a circuit for thee 5 cut-off relay 0. The conductor 7 includes the usual supervisory signal h, controlled by a supervisory relay h in the link conductor 6, said supervisory relay being adapted to respond to the telephone-switch of the calling subscriber during connection.

Each of the signal devices at the substa- 2o tive signal indicating with the link conductors,

with the link conductors.

erator will accordingly tions is arranged to be unresponsive to current from batteryb, normally connected with the line, but is adapted when. the telephone at any such'lstation is removed to be oper- 5 at ed upon the closure of the connectionswitch by current from battery 1), associated T he magnet of eacn of the signal-bells (1 may be polarized and biased, so as not to respond to current from to battery I], which is normally connected with i e5 {trolled by a switch-key 9/.

"While 'I have shown for convenience of illustratlon two batteries marked 1) b, it Wlll be understood,.ot course, that in. practice "these would be one and the same battery.

o The operation of the system may be briefly outlined as follows: Assume that subscriber at station A? desires an exchange connection. Upon removing the receiver from the switch-hookat his station the line-cir- 35 cult is completed in the usual manner to display the line-signal. At the same time the (l18l31110l3lV6 signal-producing device at such substation is brought into operative relation to the line-that is, upon the closure of 4c the contact f by the telephone-switch the bridge 4 of the line is completed, which ineludes the signal-bell, said bell, as before stated, being unresponsive to the central-offlee battery b, normally connected line. The operator upon observing the display oi the line-signal inserts her answeringplug into the sparing-jack e of the line and closes the switch i to bring her telephone set or signal-receiving device into association I The closure of the local circuit 7 3, including the cut-oil relay, effects the energifzation of such relay to disconnect the line-signaling apparatus from the line in the usual manner without, how- 5 5' ever, affecting the service-meter magnet m.

associated with the cord-cir The battervb, euit, is now connected with the limhsl 2 of the line, and current therefrom passes through the signal-producing device at the substa- 6o tion A which is operated thereby, iving a distinctive signal or tone which will 0 communicated through the agency of the substatiomtransmitter over the line to the operators signal-receivin device 43. The oplmow by this characreferably, of

with the Y tcristic signal that station is the onewhose telephone is in use.

I claim- I I 1. The combination with a telephone-line extending from a plurality of substations to a central o'liice, of a distinctive electrically-ac tuated signal-producing device at each substation, a telephone-switch at each station and means controlled thereby for operatively associating the signahproducing device at that station with the line in the use bi the telephone, a source of current, means at the central oiiice for controlling the application of current tothe line to operate the signal device of any substation the telephone of which is in use, and signal-receiving device connected with the line at the central office responsiveto said signal producing device, whereby the particular telephone in use is indicated.

2. The combination with a telephonedinc extending from a plurality of substations to a central ollice, of distinctive audible signalproducing devices, one at each substation, means at each station for transmitting an aw. dible signal over the line; an operators. sigrial-receiving device associated withthe line at the central office responsive to such signals," a source of current at the central oilice and means at the central office for applying current from. said source to the line, to operate" the signal device at any busy station, whereby the particular telephone in use is indicated to the centrahoiilce operator.

8. The combination with a telephone-line extending irom a plurality of substations to a central oliice of a number of signal-bells of distinctive tone, one at each substation, a telephone-s tch at each station controlling the connection of the signal-bell at that sta- .,tion with the line, a source of current, means at the central office for controlling the application of current to the line to operate the si 11a, -bell at any station the telephone of w ich is in use, means at each substation for transmitting the signal produced over the line, and a signal-receiving device connected withthe line at the central office responsive to said signal, whereby the particulartelephone in use is indicated to the central-office operator.

4. The combination with a telephone linc exten ding from a plurality of substations to a central oilice, of a number of signal-bells of distinctive tone, one at each substation, a normally 0 en brid e of the line at each sub? station inc uding t e signal-bell thereof, a telephone-sw itch at each substation controllin said bridge, link conductors at the cen tra o'l'lice, a connection-switch for uniting said link conductors with the line, a source of current connected with said link conductors adapted upon the closure of said connectionswitch to operate the signal-bell oi the station whose telephone is in use, a transmitter at the substation for transmitting the signal over the line, and a teie hone associated with the link conductors a apted to receive said. signal; whereby 'the'particuler telephone in use is indicated to the central-ofiice operator.

5. The combination with a telephone-1ine extending from aplurality of substations to a central office, of distinctive signal-producing 1 devices, one at each substation, an operators signal-receiving device associated with the line/at the central office and responsive to i saic signal-producing devices, a source of current at the central ofhce, and an operators plug and plug-circuit at the central oifice for connecting said source of current and signalreceiving device With the line, the current from said source operating the signahprodum ing device at a busy station.

In Witness-whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th day of November, A. D. 1904;.

JAMES L. uO UARRIE.

Witnesses:

JENNIE C. LAMB, A. NEIL CLARK. 

